‘He looked exactly like his daddy’: NFL player and wife share photos of miscarried son

This week, Marquise Goodwin, wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, posted heartbreaking news on his Instagram page. Goodwin’s wife, Morgan, went into preterm labor with their baby boy, and unfortunately, her labor could not be stopped. Their son did not survive.

PEOPLE reports that Morgan was at 19 weeks, almost to the halfway point of her pregnancy.

Goodwin’s Instagram post about the loss of his son makes it clear that he and his wife loved their baby boy very much, and saw him as a real person… and as a very real loss. He wrote:

I just wanna thank those who’ve genuinely prayed for @morganakamomo & myself through out this pregnancy. Unfortunately we lost our baby boy due to some complications, and had to prematurely deliver him early this morning around 4am. Although we are hurt, I am grateful for the experience and grateful that God blessed me with a wife as courageous and resilient as Morgan. The pain (physically, mentally, & emotionally) that she has endured is unbelievable. Please Pray for the Goodwin family.

Prior to that, in September, Goodwin and his wife both posted pregnancy announcements on their Instagram pages, featuring the same photo — the couple holding a sonogram photo of their baby boy — but with different wording. Goodwin shared a Bible verse that states in part, “Children are a heritage from the Lord,” and Morgan noted that she had just entered her second trimester, adding, “Thank you Lord for blessing us with this incredible experience and bundle of joy.”

Following their loss, Morgan shared a different image of their son’s hand on her Instagram page, writing, “This whole week has taken an emotional toll on my husband and I, Struggling to keep our healthy baby safe in my womb. However, God had other plans for us. Today, I had to deliver my precious baby boy early this morning due to preterm labor…. I appreciate everyone who kept us in their prayers and constantly checked in on us. This was truly and an amazing experience and it was also a tragic experience. … [W]e won’t stop fighting and we won’t give up on what God has in store for us. It’s just important for us to remember that things happen for a reason, even though we may question ourselves ‘why us.’ Our faith is strong….”

The Goodwins met when they both attended the University of Texas at Austin. Morgan was a success in her own right, both academically and in college track and field. PEOPLE says they “crossed each other’s paths a few times at track meets and outings, but they didn’t seriously start talking until people started confusing them as siblings after a friend pointed out their similar appearances.” She texted him first, and the rest was history.

PEOPLE notes that the couple, married in 2016, had suffered a miscarriage three years prior to that and had “used fertility treatments” in an effort to conceive.

Morgan told PEOPLE about their most recent loss, the baby boy they have named Marquise, Jr: “I felt joy in holding my baby even though it was a sad moment,” she said. “I was so amazed. His eyes were still shut at this point, but the hands, the feet. He looked exactly like his daddy.” She told of her desire to have a large family. “I was looking forward to having someone to call our own — our own creation. I feel I was placed in this world to be a mother…. I want to be a mother to four kids, five…. so this hurts.”